When the former Michigan quarterback arrived at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Wednesday for his third workout, he had a surprise waiting for him in his locker: A white No. 16 jersey.

He had been wearing yellow, warning players he couldn't be hit due to a nerve issue that was effecting his right pinky.

"I saw the white jersey in my locker, and I was just happy," Robinson said after his first day without restrictions. "It was just, 'Yes, I get to go. Let's do this.'"

Scouts came here to see Robinson go at it against defensive backs. His first full day of drills drew mixed results, but even that was enough to impress Oakland Raiders receivers coach Ted Gilmore.

"Today was his first day we could turn him loose, and I was pleasantly surprised," said Gilmore, who is Robinson's position coach for the week. "He caught the ball better than I thought he would.

"When he does get in trouble, on the ones he drops, he’s just got late hands. He’s got to learn to bring his hands with his head, and once he does that, he’ll be fine, because he does have soft hands. They don’t fight the ball, by any means. And obviously, we all know what he can do once he has it in his hands.

"To answer your question: Can he play receiver in the NFL? I think he can."

Robinson's biggest problem this week has been his routes. He continues to look unnatural at the position, and isn't getting out of his breaks quick enough. That all was evident even when he wasn't going against defensive backs.

But once Robinson did go against defenders, he gained consistent separation despite the poor routes. He beat Oregon State cornerback Jordan Poyer badly on a pair of routes over the middle.

Poyer is expected to be selected in the first two rounds.

That indicates Robinson, playing on pure athleticism, could be effective once his mechanics catch up to the rest of his game.

"Obviously you got to refine some things and you have to expect that," Gilmore said. "His top end is great, but he has to get out of his breaks cleaner. It’s just something he hasn’t done full time. But the potential, quite frankly, is there."

Is Robinson ahead of schedule in his move to receiver?

"Absolutely," Gilmore said.

Robinson said he felt good about his performance, but knows he's a work in progress, especially with his routes and on special teams.

"That felt good, going against the best," he said. "Of course, it’s tough, but you just got to keep working at it and compete.

"I’m the kind of guy who’s going to work hard to be the best at it."

Robinson has looked more comfortable with each passing day this week, which he says is due to adjusting to the drills, picking up coaching from Gilmore and mimicking the other receivers.

But he continues to struggle on punt return. He caught 3-of-4 punts Wednesday, an improvement from his 3-of-7 on Monday and 2-of-4 live punts Tuesday, but still has issues picking up the flight pattern of the ball.

"That’s the one thing I challenged him on," Gimore said. "I said once you get home, you have to work on that, because you have to be able to do that. He knows that."